Marine VHF radio suggestions??

[camelbird]

Anybody have a suggestion for a low cost, waterproof rugged hand held vhf radio? Any standards or any to stay away from?

Thanks!

[Mark]

Standard Horizon makes quality hand-held VHF waterproof radios from about $100 up.

http://standardhorizon.factoryoutlet...HF-Radios.html

[<MIKE>]

+1 on Standard Horizon

I have the Standard Horizon HX851. It's around $200 depending on where you buy it but the safety features you get for the money I think are worth it. Standard Horizon often offers rebates too.

Some of the safety features of the Standard Horizon HX851:
It has a built in GPS and will transmit your location during a distress call.
6W transmission during distress call.
Glows in the dark (gasket strip around the sides of the unit).
SOS strobe that is activated when it comes in contact with water.
Good battery life.
Weather channels (Most units have this).

The Standard Horizon HX290 is about $70 cheaper and is a good option too.

[camelbird]

Awesome, thanks for the advice on the standard horizons guys! Torn between cost effective and safety/longevity of a radio.

[tufnik]

I have ICOM M34. Recommended to me by a Coast Guard member. Used it over 3 years so far on every yak fishing trip, and continuing to use it. Used it all over the place - CHSP in DE, J-Bay in NY, CBBT in VA, Rudee in VA, OC in MD, etc. Floats, clear transmission, long battery life and rugged. No problem whatsoever. I like it so much I bought another one a few months ago as a spare or back-up for friends.

[bgriff]

Another vote for Standard Horizon. I believe all their radios come with a three year warranty. I have the HX-300, waterproof, floats, water activated flashing red LED, but what sold me was it's compact design. Way smaller than any other radio I looked at. I keep mine attached to the front of my PFD and have never had a problem with it interfering with any movements.

[RustedAngler]

BUMP!! Just curious about your opinions on the units you all carry. Maybe you upgraded since then and have a newer better unit?

[EMSer]

Standard Horizon!

[RustedAngler]

Standard Horizon!

I see ya'll hyped up about your HX-300's.. I was also looking at the iCom IC-M36, amazon has it for $170. I had originally saw the Cobra HH500 as an option but found nothing on the battery spec except that the run time was like 3hrs..I'm good on that...sounds like a AA situation I dont want to be in.

[scott taylor]

a buddy pointed out to me; be sure to get a model that has a battery tray. If you find yourself spending extended time on the water you can carry spare batteries and not be concerned with loosing power when you most need it!
ST

[john from md]

I had several ICOM's but switched to Standard Horizon when the quality started to decline. I currently use a HX 850 and am very happy with it.

John

[plastic boat]

get one that has bluetooth so you can connect it to your phone. then leave the phone stored in a waterproof container

[JohnE]

get one that has bluetooth so you can connect it to your phone. then leave the phone stored in a waterproof container

Which one are you using and how is it? I lost my standard horizon last year and need to upgrade from the cheap/basic radio I carry lately.

[Cowpokey]

I have a couple Standard Horizon radios; mine is an HX-280 (no longer available), and the one I just bought for my daughter is an HX-300. If I was going to recommend a radio it would be the 300; it floats AND has a long lasting battery. Also, the 300 can be charged with a regular USB cable.

[JohnE]

Nice. USB charging is something I was looking for. I can probably do without bluetooth since I have an s6 active, though it would be nice to have. I saw one on their website (hx760s), but I think it is out of my price range and don't see any available on amazon. Hx870 is looking pretty good also... I guess it has USB charging, but not sure from description.